LG has been doing a great job with the old G2 and now they’re preparing to release the LG G3, which should come with an overhauled design and improved hardware, along with some new features.

There have been some rumors about it and its release date, but nothing is certain for the moment. We are really confident that LG is preparing to release the G3 later this year, considering that they’ve already applied for the G3 trademark at USPTO.

We also believe that LG G3 will become the Google Nexus 6, which should be released around September 2014, a few months after the G3, which is rumored for June.

LG G3 Release Date

The release date has been rumored a lot lately, with dates ranging between May to June 2014, but we believe the latter could be real. The LG G2 has been released in September and that’s why some believe the Korean maker wouldn’t introduce the next version so early, but all of their big competitors are now releasing flagships between February and March and that could eat through LG’s sales, so it would be a logical step to hurry up and compete with them. The LG G2 becomes outdated once the Samsung Galaxy S5, HTC One 2014 and Sony Xperia Z2 are out, so LG has to come with a new flagship if they want to fight for the market share.

Usually, when a smartphone’s release date gets closer, more rumors start flowing around and we might also be lucky for some leaks, as the company starts testing the device.

LG G3 Design

We expect LG to revamp the G3’s design, but most likely there won’t be huge differences between it and the G2. We already have a concept based on the latest rumors and it could be true to the real smartphone. It shows front-facing speakers, along with the same physical buttons on the back, that are now aligned horizontally and with the camera placed on the right of them, instead of being on top.

The back buttons have created a lot of buzz when LG released the G2, because it’s something we haven’t seen until then and it didn’t seem right, but it seems like the company is going to continue with this placement. We suppose LG did more user experience testing that concluded the buttons should be arranged horizontally, leading to this change.

As you can see in the concept photo, the smartphone looks much better than the G2 and we really hope it’s closer to the real deal.

LG G3 Hardware

The LG G3 will most likely come with the latest hardware and it could be one of the first smartphones to feature the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 SoC, which is due to be released later this year. This means the LG G3 could sport a quad-core Krait 450 CPU clocked at 2.5Ghz, 3GB of RAM, and an Adreno 420 GPU, which would make it the most powerful smartphone of 2014.

But we can’t be very sure about the Snapdragon 805, considering that LG is working on their own SoC, called LG Odin. Odin is pretty similar in speed to the Samsung Exynos Octa 5410 and it’s also an octa-core processor composed of a 2.2Ghz quad-core and a 1.7Ghz quad-core. The two processor won’t run simultanously and are built more for saving the battery than for power.

We also expect the G3 to support WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0, along with an improved camera, a 3,600 mAh battery, and 32GB or 64GB of internal memory, expandable by up to 128GB through the microSD card slot.

LG G3 Display

The Korean maker is mostly known for their display technologies, like their biggest rival, Samsung, so this makes us think they will improve it even more.

The LG G3 could sport a 5.5-inch display with a 2K resolution of 1,440×2,560 pixels, meaning it will have a pixel density of 534PPI, which is absolutely huge.

If this is true, then it would probably come with the best display seen on a smartphone yet. This doesn’t mean it will be the only one, because others might use it too by the end of the year, but it will at least surpass the most important competition, which is comprised of Samsung, Sony and HTC.

LG G3 Camera

Click the image to view it full-size

It seems like the LG G3 will be using a 16MP camera, but nothing is certain for the moment. We already have a photo supposedly taken with the device posted on ortud.com, but it has a resolution of 4,260×2,342, which means it has 9.6MP with a 16:9 aspect ratio. We are really confident it won’t come with a 9.6MP camera and either the person who took the photo set it to a lower resolution, or that’s the default setting for the phone. It’s also possible the image has been resized, though.

According to the forum member who posted the photo, the camera is similar to the one found in the LG G Pro 2 and it features a 13MP sensor with optical image stabilization (OIS). The photo’s EXIF dat also reveals the device’s codename to be LG-D972.

Others rumors are talking about 4K video recording and 120fps slow motion video, which isn’t anything new nowadays and we believe it to be true.

LG G3 Fingerprint Scanner

The newest trend on the smartphone market is the fingerprint scanner, which can be already found on the Galaxy S5, HTC One Max and the iPhone 5S and back in January we’ve reported that the LG G3 might feature one too.

Considering that the LG G3 has no front-facing buttons, we expect the fingerprint scanner to be placed on the middle button on the back of the device, similar to the One Max.

We believe the rumor to be true, because LG has done a really good job lately competing with the other smartphone giants and we expect them to do whatever possible in order to increase their market share.

LG G3 & Nexus 6

Image courtesy of Rishi Ramesh.

Last week we’ve reported that Google’s upcoming Nexus 6 will be based on the LG G3 and we strongly believe it to be true. Google has seen the biggest success with their LG-built Nexus devices and they have no reason to switch makers.

We even have an official statement about the Nexus 6, so we know it’s coming. Sundai Pinchai, Google’s Senior VP, confirmed that the next Nexus device will be released in the second half of the year.

Most likely, the Nexus 6 will be a lightweight version of the LG G3, as Google is trying to keep their smartphones cheaper in order to help the Android environment.

The Nexus 5 has been a very successful smartphone, even if it didn’t come with the best hardware possible. But its lower price has helped it a lot and there are a lot of users who are embracing Nexus devices for their stock Android experiences and fast updates.

LG G3 Water-resistant & Dust-resistant

Along with the fingerprint scanner, this is one more trend that most Android smartphone makers are following. Last year we’ve had only the Sony Xperia Z and some low or mid-range water and dust-resistant devices, but this year Samsung has also made the Galaxy S5 and there are a few more upcoming.

LG definitely wants to take advantage of everything they can to convince potential buyers that their G3 is the best choice, so we expect them to follow the same path. We even have a rumor coming from Korean publisher ET News.

According to a new rumor, it will be waterproof. There are now more rumors concerning this and we really start thinking it’s true.

What We’d Love to See On The LG G3

We’ve told you what we expect the LG G3 to come with and now we’ll try to summarize what we’d like it to feature. There are things unlikely to be seen in the G3, but nobody can stop us from hoping.

128GB of Internal Storage

It would be great to have a selection of 128GB storage smartphones. It’s true that their memory can be expanded through a microSD card, but internal storage is faster and more reliable, usually. Another advantage is that, if they would have enough internal storage, the microSD card could be used for backups.

The LG G3 will probably have a wonderful display, which can play Full HD movies without a problem and its memory can barely hold two.

Always-on Listening Mode

One of the things we love most about the Motorola Moto X is the always-on listening mode. It’s great that you can use the smartphone without touching it and we really hope that LG is thinking about something similar.

Kids Mode or Multi-User

There are times when someone else has to use your smartphone and privacy becomes a concern. A kids mode or multi-user feature would be great in such situations.

We would also love to see something similar to Samsung’s Knox, which provides an extra layer of security to more sensitive apps.

Iris Scanner

There have been some rumors talking about it, but we highly doubt it, because it’s not clear if the technology is so advanced and cheap. Until now, no smartphone features an Iris scanner, but it could be great to see it on the G3.

the camera is pretty cool and nfinger print scanner is a must nowadays never have i admired an LG phone like this one

Ruel

Samsung Galaxy S5 and the just released HTC One M8 turns out to be both ugly. I have high hopes for LG G3 – noting that they do deliver on great specs. For the G3 to be a great success and the bestseller for 2014 LG doesn’t have to tinker much really: improve the bezel ratio to 80% from its G2’s 75.7% (the LG brand on the front is a bit annoying and useless real estate really), work on the back cover to make it less cheap shiny plastic (learn from the Note 3’s faux leather maybe), work on the speakers a little more for louder, fuller output, better, cleaner UI with less bloatware and full Flipboard integration (not some hybrid interpretation of it) and Google Now on board, and then maybe great pairing with a wearable for health and fitness monitoring. Just those really. Already with the G2 the battery and camera are already great so I’m pretty sure on the G3 they will even be better.

Empyrean Tech

The One M8 is far from ugly!

Hopeful

I would say id also like to be assured that the G3 would be more durable than the 2. I’ve read so many reviews about the screen cracking from a 1ft drop it made me scared to buy it. I am holding out to see if this one is made to be more durable. I would hate to buy one just to accidentally drop it and the screen breaks. There goes ally contacts. I love the phone I want one so bad jut worried about durability.